Omiwa Shrine

What to know

Omiwa Shrine (大神神社, Ōmiwa-jinja) is an ancient Shinto shrine along the Yamanobe-no-michi walking trail in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. Surrounded by thick forest at the base of Mount Miwa, the exact age of the shrine is unknown, but Omiwa is thought to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, shrines in Japan. It has been hugely important for many centuries.

Most shrines have a main hall where the deity is enshrined, but Omiwa Shrine predates this custom and has no main hall (though it does have a prayer hall). Instead, worship is directed to Mount Miwa, which stands behind the complex. Okuninushi became associated with Mount Miwa, and the mountain is believed to be the embodiment of this very prominent Shinto deity.

The mountain is worshiped through a triple torii gate (mitsu-torii) at the back of the shrine's prayer hall. The triple torii style is ancient and extremely rare. To see the gate, visitors must inquire at the shrine office and be guided by a priest. A similar triple torii gate stands at Hibara Shrine, an auxiliary shrine of Omiwa Shrine, a 20-minute walk north along the Yamanobe-no-michi Trail.

Omiwa Shrine is located at the southern end of the Yamanobe-no-michi Trail, a ten-minute walk from Miwa Station on the JR Sakurai Line. Miwa Station is connected with JR Nara Station (25 minutes, 330 yen one way) and Sakurai Station (3 minutes, 150 yen) twice per hour. The shrine is also a ten-minute taxi ride from Sakurai Station (about 1000 yen one way).